It has been the accepted wisdom that to really get paid as a defenceman in today’s National Hockey League, you either have to be a power-play quarterback, a rambling, gambling puck rusher, own a howitzer point shot or be an intimidating physical specimen.

Any two of those, and you get serious money. Three, and you’re P.K. Subban, or Shea Weber.

Chris Tanev falls outside all the usual pigeonholes.

Way outside.

Power play quarterback? Nope. Puck rusher? Well, he can skate it out of the zone, move it crisply to the forwards. Howitzer? Not unless he’s got an illegal weapons cache at home. Physical? Passably.

His assets are all lower-case, the kind that make coaches smile and — as of Tuesday, when the Vancouver Canucks signed the 25-year-old classic late bloomer to a five-year, US$22.25-million contract extension — salary watchers scratch their heads and ask: “Really?”

But none of the skeptics are in the Canucks’ room, or coaches’ quarters or front office.

Can you get paid being just that, and have scarcely a superlative attached? Yes. You can now, in a league that lives by the old Freddie Shero/pool players’ credo: “It’s not what you make, it’s what you leave.”

Tanev’s payday, with the Winnipeg Jets visiting on the night of the annual Canucks For Kids telethon, marked the pinnacle (so far) of one of the unlikeliest NHL careers ever born from a pure hunch.

He’ll earn US$3.5-million next season ($3.5M, $5M, $5M, and $5.25M in subsequent years), with a limited no-trade clause starting in 2017 under which he can choose eight teams to whom he can refuse a trade.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckVancouver Canucks' Chris Tanev checks New York Islanders' Mikhail Grabovski.

“It feels like just yesterday, we were sitting in Winnipeg, Tanev in his Grinch pyjamas,” said Lack, of his old Manitoba Moose teammate in the AHL. “Now, he’s a millionaire.”

Tanev was, in fact, already a millionaire, having agreed to a one-year, US$2-million contract last summer to get the Canucks out of salary-cap jail.

“We went to Chris this summer and I talked to him about signing a one-year deal to give us the flexibility to add depth to our roster … and credit to Chris, he was all for that,” said GM Jim Benning. “He was understanding of it, he wants to win, and we told him that if he agrees to do that, we’ll look after him in the long term. And that’s what’s happened today.”

“There’s character people in this organization from top to bottom, as far as giving back to charities and taking care of their players,” Tanev said. “I had no doubt in my mind about that. This is where I wanted to play.”

It is all so far removed from where Tanev was as a 16-year-old, he can hardly believe it.

“Not even close,” he said Tuesday, asked if he would even have dreamed of a day like this when, at five feet tall and 120 pounds, he was getting cut by a series of Midget teams.

“It’s something to reflect on,” he said, admitting he was close to saying goodbye to hockey altogether “probably in Grade 10. I couldn’t really make any triple-A teams so I just went back and played high school hockey once a week with my buddies and I honestly thought that would probably be it.”

But after a dramatic growth spurt and couple of years in the Ontario provincial junior league, he was recruited by the Rochester Institute of Technology. Not exactly a hockey hotbed, but it was there that Canucks’ director of player development Dave Gagner — who had been Tanev’s roller-hockey coach years earlier — saw some of the qualities, including what Benning calls “a high hockey IQ,” that started him on the professional path to the Canucks, via the Moose.

“Even during college, I never thought I would be in the NHL at all,” said Tanev. “It’s just something that’s evolved so fast.”

You could say that. His rookie season as a pro, he was playing 29 regular-season games for the Canucks and five more during their playoff run, including the last three of the 2011 Cup final.

AP Photo/Jae C. HongThis year and last, Tanev has rounded into a shutdown defenceman.

He spent parts of the next two seasons in Chicago with the AHL team, but despite injuries that have cost him 12 and 18 games, respectively, this year and last, he has rounded into a shutdown defenceman whose top-pair partnership with Alex Edler has helped resurrect the big Swede’s career after last year’s precipitous drop-off.

“I think he’s a had a big part of Alex’s rebound,” Benning said. “He’s such a smart player that he can read off of whoever he plays with. Those two guys have had good chemistry right from the start.”

“I think he’s going to get better, too,” said head coach Willie Desjardins. “He sees the ice well. I think in the future there’s parts of his game that should make him real good on the power play. Maybe not right now …”

“I joke around with him,” Benning said. “He’s going to keep working on his shot.”

Only two of them, this year, have found the back of the net. Until the shot improves, he’ll continue to block a ton of the opposition’s attempts.

VANCOUVER — Brad Richardson left the Vancouver Canucks in the dog days of winter and returned to them amid a scorching National Hockey League playoff race.

The workplace environment has changed a lot in the two months Richardson missed due to an ankle injury that was supposed to keep him out two games. The Canucks’ lineup changed, too.

After an injury crisis that peaked at eight players three weeks ago, the Canucks returned pretty much to full skating strength on Saturday with the return of Richardson to centre and Kevin Bieksa to the defence. Vancouver beat the sinking — or is it sunken? — Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 at Rogers Arena before the Canucks’ night got even better with losses elsewhere by Pacific Division rivals the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings.

Goalie Ryan Miller (knee) is the only Canuck still out long term.

Sure, Canuck winger Alex Burrows sat out against the Leafs after aggravating a groin strain that recently forced him to miss six games. But after Saturday, there is no obvious lineup spot for Burrows to take should he be healthy enough to play Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Richardson bounced small centre Linden Vey to the press box, where he may be for a while. Bieksa’s return led coach Willie Desjardins to pull Ryan Stanton from the lineup. Interestingly, Desjardins chose to stick with defenceman Yannick Weber, who was a healthy scratch four times for a total of 10 games in January and February but played Saturday after missing two games with an injury.

And up front, winger Ronalds Kenins, who may as well have been Ronalds McDonald for all we knew about him the first half of the season, not only stayed in the lineup but was part of the Canucks’ most effective line, alongside Bo Horvat and Jannik Hansen.

The team is not only playing with more urgency in March than it did in January, it is deeper, too.

“I think Richie and Kevin did a good job; they came back and played hard right away,” winger Daniel Sedin said Saturday. “I think we’ve been playing really good without those guys. But they want to do good now, and I think it also helps throughout the lineup because guys know they have to play good or they’re going to sit. That’s huge to have on a team – that automatic sense that you better play hard or you’ll be out of the lineup.”

Richardson beautifully set up a first-period goal by Chris Higgins and Bieksa, who was having an erratic season before his injury, was solid and safe on the third defence pairing against the Leafs.

The Canucks suffered through brief lulls in the first and third periods but did what they had to do against the Leafs, managing the victory after second-period goals 32 seconds apart by Hansen and Derek Dorsett put Vancouver ahead 3-0.

Vancouver penalty-killers did not allow a goal in 10:14 of shorthanded play. The referees’ “game management” was on full display as the Canucks were issued seven of nine penalties after Hansen’s contentious goal — Kenins was knocked into Maple Leaf goalie Jonathan Bernier — and with the Leafs trailing badly.

Desjardins’ lineup management will be fascinating over the Canucks’ final 14 games.

There are a lot of extra players and even when the team gets around to sending developing defencemen Adam Clendening and Frankie Corrado back to the American Hockey League, competition for roles and playing time in Vancouver should be fierce.

“We’ve got a lot of good teammates in here,” Bieksa said. “We realize we’re a deep team and guys are interchangeable. I don’t think that’s a problem. It’s a good thing to have.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck“We’ve got a lot of good teammates in here,” Kevin Bieksa said. “We realize we’re a deep team and guys are interchangeable. I don’t think that’s a problem. It’s a good thing to have.”

Bieksa said a beneficial side effect of the injuries, besides the development of the replacements, is that several key Canucks feel rested and “fresh” at the most demanding time of the regular season.

For much of February, the treatment tables besides Bieksa in the medical room were occupied by first-pairing defencemen Alex Edler and Chris Tanev. Top-four defenceman Dan Hamhuis missed the full second quarter of the season.

“Dan has missed over 20 games,” Bieksa said. “I’ve missed over 20. Alex and Chris have missed double digits. Going down the stretch, we should be fresher than usual. We can look at it as a positive thing.”

Richardson, who said his ankle probably won’t be 100 per cent until the summer, is also fresh but felt nothing positive about missing 24 games with what was supposed to have been a day-to-day bone bruise.

Perhaps remembering that former coach John Tortorella characterized him as a whisky-drinker for his old-school sensibilities, Richardson joked that he coped with the constant disappointment of not playing with “a lot of booze.”

Like a lot of people, Richardson could have used a stiff drink as the Canuck disintegrated and fell feebly from the playoff race this time last season.

“Last year sucked,” he said. “This has been a lot more fun. Even with the injury, it’s been fun to watch the guys push through. This is the best time of year to play hockey. Get through this, and hopefully we move on to the next stage.”

As a 19-year-old trying to prove he belonged in the NHL, the rookie centre with the Vancouver Canucks treated the puck like a hot potato at times earlier this season, getting rid of it as soon as he could.

But as the year has progressed and he’s gained the trust and confidence of both his coach and teammates in the defensive zone — the Rodney, Ont., native is often out for important faceoffs late in games — Horvat is beginning to realize some of his potential at the other end of the ice.

“I feel like I’ve been getting better throughout the whole season. I’m starting to get a little bit more confidence now, handling the puck a little bit more and just feeling more confident on the ice all around,” Horvat said after Monday’s practice at Roger Arena. “At the beginning of the year I was trying to not make too many mistakes and maybe move the puck a little bit more and give it away a little bit more. Now I feel really comfortable out there.”

Rich Lam/Getty ImagesBo Horvat had an assist in the Canucks 4-1 win over the Leafs on Saturday.

With 11 goals and 10 assists in 54 games after missing the early part of the season with a shoulder injury, Horvat has found good chemistry on Vancouver’s fourth line, especially with veteran winger Jannik Hansen.

While many rookies often start to burn out in the latter part of the gruelling NHL season, Horvat is getting better in his first professional campaign as the Canucks continue to push for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“His weight’s gone up, but his fat percentage has gone down,” said Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins. “That’s a sign that he’s getting stronger. You can see it. He is stronger. When he accelerates on pucks he’s stronger.

“It’s a lot of hockey, and you worry about that. His role is a big role, but he’s handling it great right now and I just hope he keeps going that way.”

Hansen scored in Vancouver’s 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, with Horvat and fellow rookie forward Ronalds Kenins picking up the assists.

Rich Lam/Getty ImagesHorvat has points in three of his last four outings and said he's seeing the game more now, as opposed to earlier in the season when he was simply playing it.

“Once (Horvat) got a little bit of confidence his offensive game has come around and you’re seeing a lot of different skills,” said Hasen. “Not only faceoffs, but defensive awareness (and) now the offence is starting to kick in. He’s become extremely valuable to us.”

Horvat’s improved play and maturity has also been noticed around the dressing room and rubbed off on some of his older teammates.

“He adds a lot of excitement. Everything is new,” added Hansen. “You want to go out and give it your all, and the team feeds off that, the crowd feeds off that, and it kind of goes in a nice little circle.”

Horvat has points in three of his last four outings and said he’s seeing the game more now, as opposed to earlier in the season when he was simply playing it.

“When you get in that groove and you start to figure the game out a little bit more it starts to slow down for you,” he said. “You start to make plays and get more confident with the puck. Things just start to open up for you and it definitely feels like that as of late.”

VANCOUVER — Derek Dorsett admitted to costing his team with some undisciplined play last time out.

He more than made up for it on Saturday.

The bruising forward scored his first goal in 24 games and also chipped in with two assists as the Vancouver Canucks downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1.

Dorsett was sitting in the penalty box for a retaliatory slash when the Los Angeles Kings opened the scoring on Thursday and the visitors never really looked back after that in skating away with a 4-0 victory.

“I felt bad about the penalty I took,” Dorsett said Saturday after the first three-point game of his NHL career. “I apologized to the guys the locker-room. That’s what good teams do, they stick with you. The guys supported me and I wanted to make sure I came with a good effort.”

The six-foot, 192-pound winger hadn’t scored since Jan. 16, but is a valued member of the Canucks for his grit and tenacity.

“He’s just played hard for us,” said Vancouver head coach Willie Desjardins. “Lots of nights he doesn’t get rewarded on the scoresheet, but he does get rewarded in the dressing room.”

Chris Higgins, Jannik Hansen and Shawn Matthias, into an empty net, had the other goals for Vancouver (39-25-4), while Eddie Lack made 28 saves.

“We weren’t really happy with the L.A. game,” said Lack. “I felt like we came out hard from the start today and we showed that we wanted this one.”

Phil Kessel replied for Toronto (27-37-6), which finished 0 for 6 on the power play.

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THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan HaywardToronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier looks on as members of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks fight during the second period.

Jonathan Bernier made 31 stops for the Leafs, who were coming off a 6-3 loss against the Calgary Flames on Friday and have just five wins over their last 32 games.

“We talked about how unacceptable our effort was last night and the compete level was not there,” said Toronto captain Dion Phaneuf. “Tonight it was a lot better, but it’s disappointing to not come out of here with a point or two points.”

Higgins scored his ninth of the season in the first to give Vancouver the lead before the hosts blew the game open in the middle period with goals 32 seconds apart.

The Leafs had a number of chances on a power play, but the Canucks broke back on a 2-on-1 the other way, with Dorsett burying his sixth at 6:09 just as the penalty expired.

Hansen then made it 3-0 moments later into a gaping net after Ronalds Kenins was pushed into Bernier.

The Leafs had a 5-on-3 man advantage for 25 seconds as part of its four straight power plays in the period, but were unable to get anything past Lack despite some lengthy stretches of sustained pressure.

“You need your power play to get us going and get us back into that game,” said Toronto interim head coach Peter Horachek, whose team has a solitary victory over its last 20 road games. “The power play instead of scoring gives up one, whether it’s a second after or not it’s still a short-handed goal to me.”

Phaneuf and Canucks forward Zack Kassian were then involved in an altercation after the whistle with 3:27 left on the clock. One of the linesmen tumbled to the ice under Kassian, who was given two minutes for roughing, a ten-minute misconduct and a game misconduct, while Phaneuf escaped with a minor.

Lack, who continues to carry the workload in the Vancouver crease with No. 1 goalie Ryan Miller still out with a knee injury, made a nice save on a Trevor Smith short-handed breakaway with under nine minutes to go in the third, but lost his shutout bid when Kessel beat him with a nice backhand on a penalty shot with 7:22 left for his 24th.

But Matthias put any thoughts of a comeback to rest with his 17th into an empty net with under three minutes to go.

“It’s an important time of year,” said Dorsett. “We all know how important every point is from here on out.”

That was Lack’s answer when asked how many points he thinks the Canucks need to guarantee themselves a playoff spot.

It doesn’t seem like a big ask. The Canucks, with 80 points, have 16 regular-season games remaining. Win half of them and they’ll have 96 points, which almost everyone figures will be more than enough to join the post-season party.

“That’s what a lot of people are saying, 95 or 96 points to be sure,” said winger Jannik Hansen. “I think last year it took 91, but it looks like this year it is going to be a little bit more because teams are turning it on.

“This is the time of the year where you see the jockeying and you know how important the points are and you can see the desperation in teams.”

The Canucks head into Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings in second spot in the Pacific Division. But they can’t allow themselves to get comfortable as they’re only three points above the Western Conference playoff bar.

Their remaining schedule is not as taxing as most of the teams chasing them. The Canucks play 10 of their last 16 games at home and only five of their remaining games are against teams currently above the playoff bar in the West.

Trouble is, they see the Kings, who were in ninth spot heading into Wednesday night’s action, three times between now and the end of the season.

“Obviously, they are a great team and these division games are getting more and more important at this time of the year,” Lack said of the Kings. “You know what, it’s not a two-point game anymore, it’s a four-point game and we have to be ready for it.”

With a win Thursday night over the Kings, the Canucks would accomplish a rather impressive feat by registering victories in consecutive games over the three California teams. There was a time when that would have been considered California Dreaming.

On Saturday night, the Canucks beat the Sharks in San Jose. They returned home to defeat the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night. They now prepare for a Kings team that has given them the most trouble and one they could conceivably face in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan HaywardThe Canucks, with 80 points, have 16 regular-season games remaining. Win half of them and they’ll have 96 points, which almost everyone figures will be more than enough to join the post-season party.

“Going into the year everyone thought those were the three big teams, especially out West,” defenceman Luca Sbisa said after Wednesday’s practice. “If you want to go to the Stanley Cup you have to go through maybe one or two of those for sure.

“It’s good that we beat San Jose and the Ducks, but I think the toughest opponent right now is the Kings. They have been pretty hot. They’re pretty strong, a big physical team so we should be ready, we should know what to expect.”

The Kings, who trail the Canucks by three points, play 10 of their final 16 games on the road. And 10 of those games are against teams presently above the playoff bar.

But most expect the Kings to finish inside the top eight and that includes Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins.

“They have the ability where, when it’s time to play hard, they play hard and elevate their game,” Desjardins said. “They seem to do that. All of a sudden when it’s time to win, they pick up their game and play hard. That is where they are now. . . they are making a push to the playoffs just like they do every year.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan HaywardThe Canucks returned home to defeat the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night.

To follow their wins over the Ducks and Sharks with a victory over the Kings would not only enhance the Canucks’ playoff chances. It would also be good for their psyche.

“That would be really huge,” said winger Alex Burrows. “You have to find ways to beat those guys otherwise they are always going to have a mental edge on you and it’s always going to be tough to beat them.

“So for us to beat them and show that we can compete with them and show that we are in the same league is good for our confidence and might make them think that we are not just a walk-over. I think that’s really important as a mindset.”

Wednesday’s practice was a crowded one as other than injured goalie Ryan Miller, the Canucks had all of their players on the ice.

Chris Higgins, Brad Richardson and Brandon McMillan skated as an extra forward line. That makes it likely that Latvian rookie winger Ronalds Kenins will return to the lineup after sitting out the last two games as a healthy scratch. Kenins skated Wednesday with Bo Horvat and Hansen.

“He just has to get back to the way he plays and give us energy,” Desjardins said of Kenins.

VANCOUVER — After listening to what other teams had to offer, Jim Benning decided the current Vancouver Canucks squad deserves the chance to make a playoff push.

“We are happy with our team,” the Canucks’ general manager said after Monday’s NHL trade deadline passed. “Our players have shown a commitment to each other. We wanted to give this group an opportunity to see what they can do as a team.

“We talked to a lot of teams. We didn’t want to give up our young prospects and picks for unrestricted free agents. We didn’t feel the prices were right for us to do that right now.”

The Canucks made a couple minor deals, acquiring forward Cory Conacher from the New York Islanders and forward Sven Baertschi from the Calgary Flames. Vancouver sent Dustin Jeffrey, the leading scoring from their American Hockey League team in Utica to the Islanders and gave up a second-round draft pick in 2015 for Baertschi.

Both players will report to Vancouver’s AHL team in Utica.

Benning believes Baertschi has the potential to become a top-six forward with the Canucks in the future.

“I don’t like giving up draft picks,” said Benning. “We weighed getting Sven versus what we would get in the second round with our pick and we made the decision, let’s go ahead and do this.”

The Flames picked Baertschi 13th overall in 2011. The 22-year-old from Bern, Switzerland, has appeared in 66 NHL games for Calgary, totalling eight goals and 20 assists.

The five-foot-eight Conacher had a goal and two assists in 15 games with the Islanders this season. The 25-year-old has appeared in 28 games with the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers, scoring five goals and adding 17 assists.

The Canucks received some inquires about forward Zack Kassian. The 24-year-old has been in and out of the lineup this season but has scored four goals in the last six games.

“Teams called us . . . they inquired about Zack,” said Benning. “We called some teams on Zack to see if there was interest.

Winnipeg has already traded Evander Kane and Toronto managed to move David Clarkson and three of its unrestricted free agents. Curtis Glencross gone from Calgary, while Ottawa took Marc Methot off the board by re-signing the free agent defenceman. And yet, there are plenty of possibilities heading into Monday’s NHL trade deadline. Edmonton needs to get older. Montreal and Ottawa need forwards, while Calgary and Vancouver need defencemen. And Toronto still needs more draft picks. Post hockey writer Michael Traikos takes a look at the seven Canadian teams ahead of the deadline.

CALGARY FLAMESRecord 33-25-4, 9th in West

Valuable trade pieces None

What needs to happen Fighting for a playoff spot is not where the rebuilding Flames thought they would be at the beginning of the season. But plans change. Because they are now on the bubble and without injured captain Marc Giordano, there might be an urge to try and move assets in order to take the next step. Even before Giordano went down, the team was in need of help on defence. Calgary traded Curtis Glencross to the Washington Capitals on Sunday for second- and third-round picks, so adding a veteran forward like Joffrey Lupul (three years remaining on a US$5.25-million cap hit) could be an attractive option.

Best-case scenario It’s not particularly exciting, but the Flames should probably stay the course and try to get into the playoffs with the team that got them this far.

Worst-case scenario President of hockey operations Brian Burke, who had no patience for a proper rebuild in Toronto, trades part of the future in hopes of giving the Flames their first playoff appearance in six years.

EDMONTON OILERSRecord 18-35-10, 14th in West

Valuable trade pieces Jeff Petry, Andrew Ference, Jordan Eberle

What needs to happen The trade deadline is probably not the best place for the Oilers to start making significant roster decisions, especially since the possibility of selecting either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel in the upcoming draft could solve a lot of their issues. Still, TSN’s Darren Dreger has reported that the Oilers are getting calls on captain Ference, while Eberle remains a frequent trade target.

Best-case scenario The Oilers cash in on the deadline frenzy, especially for defencemen this year, and convert Petry — who can be a top-four defenceman on a good team — to Pittsburgh for a first-round pick and potentially more.

Worst-case scenario The Oilers upgrade their goalie situation (Toronto’s Jonathan Bernier?) and pay trade-deadline prices for a potential No. 1 that could be acquired in the summer at a much lower price.

What needs to happen The team to beat in the East, the Canadiens are probably still too reliant on Carey Price to be considered legitimate Stanley Cup favourites against the best in the Western Conference. Montreal got a little bigger last week when they traded Jiri Sekac to Anaheim for promising power forward Devante Smith-Pelly, but could use more depth for a banged-up defence corps or at forward.

Best-case scenario With Alexei Emelin out with a shoulder injury, the Canadiens add depth to their defence in the form of Toronto’s Roman Polak.

Worst-case scenario Montreal, which added Thomas Vanek at the deadline last year, decides to go for it all now and give up on a future sniper in De La Rose for a top-six forward who can help the offence now.

OTTAWA SENATORS
Record 27-23-10, 11th in East

Valuable trade pieces Erik Condra, Colin Greening

What needs to happen Not good enough to be a buyer and not bad enough to be a seller, the Senators also still have an outside chance at a playoff spot after a recent streak of good play behind unknown goalie Andrew (The Hamburglar) Hammond. For that reason, it probably makes sense to ride the rest of the season out and look towards building for next season.

Best-case scenario A year ago, Ottawa acquired Alex Hemsky for the playoff push. This year, it might be wiser to do nothing.

Worst-case scenario Needing help down the middle, the Senators make a play for Toronto’s Tyler Bozak, who has three years remaining on a contract with a US$4.2-million cap hit.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Record 25-32-5, 15th in East

Valuable trade pieces Everyone not named Morgan Rielly.

What needs to happen Toronto has already traded four players (Cody Franson, Mike Santorelli, Daniel Winnik and David Clarkson) and with the team heading down the long road to rebuilding, management is motivated to move plenty more. From Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf to Lupul and Bozak, the Leafs can expect to be extremely popular on deadline day. But because none of the players are rentals, it might be easier to move them in the summer.

Best-case scenario Toronto, which acquired Nashville’s first-round pick, moves Lupul to Washington and Phaneuf to Detroit for two more first-rounders.

Worst-case scenario No one wants Toronto’s salary dumps and the Leafs settle instead for moving pending unrestricted free agents such as Olli Jokinen and Korbinian Holzer for late-round picks.

VANCOUVER CANUCKSRecord 35-23-3, 6th in West

Valuable trade pieces Zack Kassian, Chris Higgins, Shawn Matthias

What needs to happen Ryan Miller remains out with for another month or so with a lower-body injury. But with Alex Edler, Kevin Bieksa, Brad Richardson and Chris Tanev all due back soon from injury, the already has a ready-made infusion coming. The team is still in that transition period between old and new, so do not expect them to part with unrestricted free agents or to cash-in on picks and prospects.

Best-case scenario GM Jim Benning, who told The Vancouver Sun that “draft picks are like gold to me,” stands pat and waits for players to get healthy.

Worst-case scenario The Canucks sell high on 24-year-old Kassian, who has been a healthy scratch this season but also has seven goals in the last 10 games.

WINNIPEG JETSRecord 31-20-12, 5th in West

Valuable trade pieces The 2014 first-round pick belonging to either St. Louis or the New York Islanders.

What needs to happen After three years, it looks like the Jets will finally reward their fans with a playoff appearance, just the second in this franchise’s history. The only question might be whether fans get more than a first-round exit. Winnipeg got a head-start on the deadline by moving disgruntled winger Evander Kane and defenceman Zach Bogosian to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, and picked up winger Jiri Tlusty form Carolina for his third tour of duty with coach Paul Maurice. The Jets then added Lee Stempniak from the New York Rangers in exchange for Carl Klingberg. Another depth forward could go a long way to help what has become a critically poor penalty kill of late.

Best-case scenario The Jets re-acquire Olli Jokinen from Toronto, who provides size, a little skill, an ability to kill penalties, and the desire to reach the playoffs for the second time in his 17-year career.

Worst-case scenario The Jets trade the first-round pick they acquired in the Kane trade and fall out of a playoff spot.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-need-draft-picks-while-montreal-canadiens-could-use-defensive-depth-what-canadian-nhl-teams-might-do-on-deadline-day/feed/10]]>stdJonathan Bernier, Roman PolakToronto Maple Leafs selling off assets, while Calgary Flames could use help at defence: A look at buyers and sellers at the NHL trade deadlinehttp://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-selling-off-assets-while-calgary-flames-could-use-help-at-defence-a-look-at-buyers-and-sellers-at-the-nhl-trade-deadline
http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs-selling-off-assets-while-calgary-flames-could-use-help-at-defence-a-look-at-buyers-and-sellers-at-the-nhl-trade-deadline#commentsSun, 01 Mar 2015 01:08:14 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=709458

With the trade deadline looming, our panel of Postmedia hockey experts break down which Canadian teams that could be movers and shakers ahead of the NHL trade deadline day on March 2.

“He made some real big saves for us. It’s good to see,” Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said. “You like to see a guy getting hot.”

Especially right about now.

Lack replaced Miller early in the second period on Sunday at the New York Islanders after the Vancouver starter was injured in a collision. Lack made 27 saves while preserving the 4-0 shutout, then further frustrated the reeling Bruins in Boston.

“I always thought Eddie was good,” Desjardins said. “He was so good the other night against the Islanders, he was unbelievable there and he just followed up again tonight.”

Daniel Paille was the only player to beat Lack, scoring 1:05 into the game to give Boston a short-lived lead. Ryan Stanton scored for Vancouver 3:28 into the first to tie it at 1-all and Lack continued stopping a barrage of shots from the Bruins.

“We got some big saves from Eddie when we needed it and we capitalized on our chances,” Kassian said.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin both picked up assists on Kassian’s tiebreaking goal 6:47 into the third as the Canucks beat the Bruins for the second time this month.

Boston was coming off a 6-2 win at Chicago on Sunday to end a six-game winless streak. The Bruins played much of the final two periods in the Vancouver end, but could not beat Lack again.

“We’ve got to find a way to get a loose puck, or just a rebound, and find a way to score some more goals,” Boston centre Patrice Bergeron said.

“He was square. He had a good night. I think we can be better with making it a little harder for him to see the puck. I thought we had some good chances, good shots, but not enough traffic.”

Bergeron won 31 of the 38 faceoffs he took and Tuukka Rask finished with 26 saves for the Bruins, who are 1-6-2 in their past nine.

There were two quick goals, then the goalies took over for the rest of the first period and all of the second.

Lack faced three power plays in the second period, including one he created when he was called for tripping with 1:37 left. He stopped all 20 shots he faced in the period while Rask made 10 saves at the opposite end.

Kassian, who served Lack’s penalty, broke the deadlock on a slap shot 6:47 into the third, getting assists from both Sedin brothers as the twins continued to pile up points lately. Henrik has nine points in the past five games and Daniel has seven — all assists — during the five-game stretch.

But Lack’s 27 saves in relief proved to be exactly what the Vancouver Canucks needed on Sunday night.

Lack was perfect after Miller went down with an apparent leg injury early in the second period and the Canucks blanked the New York Islanders 4-0 to keep pace in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

Zack Kassian, Radim Vrbata and Bo Horvat scored in the second period for Vancouver. Yannick Weber added an empty-net goal.

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“I know you have to prepare for anything to happen,” said Lack, who replaced Miller at 1:11 of the middle period. “When he went down, I just had to go in there and play my game.”

The 34-year-old Miller won his 28th game — since the Canucks were ahead 1-0 when he was injured. Miller left after he was run into by teammate Jannik Hansen in the crease. Miller, who made 10 saves, stayed down and was in pain after the collision and appeared to flex his right leg as he left the ice.

“That was a big game to help us believe what we’re trying to do as a team,” said Canucks coach Willie Desjardins, who offered no update on Miller’s condition. “We battled and Lack made some unreal saves.”

Vancouver opened its five-game trip with a shootout win over the Rangers on Thursday followed by a 4-2 loss at New Jersey on Friday. The Canucks continue with visits to Boston and Buffalo, where Miller played 11 seasons for Buffalo before he was traded to St. Louis late last season.

Kassian opened the scoring for the Canucks on the power play 28 seconds into the second period with his eighth of the season and third goal in two games.

The puck hit the post behind Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak before bouncing off him and into the net.

Vrbata made it 2-0 on the man advantage at 9:53, his team-leading 22nd goal for the Canucks. The goal was assisted by brothers Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Henrik Sedin, who leads the team with 54 points including 42 assists, has 14 points in his past 11 games against the Islanders.

“We played well, the way we can, even with the injuries we have,” he said. “It’s just a matter of scoring when you have chances. We earned the win against one of the best teams in the league.”

Horvat, a rookie, made it 3-0 for the Canucks at 13:55 with his ninth goal of the season.

A first-round pick by the Canucks in 2013, the 19-year-old Horvat has 10 points in his past 13 games. Weber scored an empty-net goal with 10.2 seconds remaining.

Lack stopped eight shots in the balance of the second and 19 more in the third.

AP Photo/Kathy KmonicekThe 34-year-old Miller, in his first season with the Canucks, left with an apparent leg injury early in the second after he was run into by teammate Jannik Hansen in the crease.

“Lots of guys stepped up, blocking shots in front of me. It was a great team effort,” Lack said. “We were playing a really, really good team and the boys did a great job.”

Vancouver also improved to 12-2-0 against Metropolitan Division opponents, including a 3-2 home win over the Islanders on Jan. 6.

The Islanders lost their second straight this weekend following a 3-2 shootout loss at Washington on Saturday.

They still lead the Metropolitan Division with 80 points and are 21-8-0 at Nassau Coliseum this season. They have three more games this week against Arizona, Calgary and Carolina.

“They played a very good road game and we had some bad luck with pucks going into our net without finding ways to score,” Islanders defenceman Thomas Hickey said. “We have to be better in the next three games.”

New York had been shut out only one other time this season, a 5-0 loss at Colorado on Oct. 30.

Halak, who made 20 saves, remains one victory shy of setting an Islanders record for wins in a season. He’s tied with Billy Smith, Chris Osgood and Rick DiPietro at 32.

The only thing more damaging to the pride than unrequited love may be unrequited hate.

So for those denizens of Vancouver and area with long enough memories, meaning fans and media and probably (though they will never admit it) even the dwindling number of Vancouver Canucks who played in the 2011 Stanley Cup final — it must be galling to consider the possibility that whatever hatred lingers is mostly one-sided.

If you say to a fan outside TD Garden in Boston, “How bitter is the Bruins’ rivalry with the Canucks?” the response is apt to be: “You mean the Canadiens?”

Of course, animus lives on in the endlessly-reloading Loathosphere of Twitter, where fans from the two cities still savage each other’s players and teams and … well, each other.

But however vile the exchange may seem to West Coasters, it’s all pretty tame compared to the malice regularly traded by fans of the Bruins and Habs.
You want rivalry? That’s rivalry, deep-rooted and beechwood-aged and drenched in abomination.

Friday, when the Bruins made their once-a-year stop in Vancouver to begin a five-game road trip, a tour of the dressing rooms looking for remnants of the four-year-old pain was hampered by the fact that only one team feels any.

It’s not true that nobody ever remembers who finished second, because Vancouver definitely does. But with the Boston players you could almost see the wheels spinning in their heads as they puzzled out the reporters’ queries and decided: “Well, we have to give them something, so …”

“It’s been quite a while now,” said the towering inferno, Zdeno Chara, who’s been trying to get the fire restarted since returning after 19 games with injury.

“It’s totally different. Both teams have changed personnel, they (Canucks) changed the whole management and coaching staff … both teams are more looking to getting on the right track and finding some consistency.”

It’s not as though no one is left from that mood-swingy series, in which the Canucks had the early momentum and then lost it through a string of untoward events, including: Alex Burrows’s famous bite of Patrice Bergeron’s finger, Milan Lucic’s finger-wagging invitation to Burrows to try it again, Dan Hamhuis’s injury, Aaron Rome’s suspension for the hellacious hit on Nathan Horton, Roberto Luongo’s ill-considered jokes about pumping Tim Thomas’s tires and, in the end, the Canucks’ lack of emotional response to Brad Marchand speed-bagging Daniel Sedin’s head. By then, for all intents and purposes, the series was over. The Canucks had capitulated.

Elsa/Getty ImagesWhile a 2012 encounter was fresh enough to prompt fisticuffs between Vancouver's Maxim Lapierre and Boston's Gregory Campbell, many of the players from their Stanley Cup final are gone now, Lapierre included.

It’s also not as though a Bruin or two hasn’t misbehaved in more recent meetings: Marchand’s suspension for submarining Sami Salo in 2011-12, Marchand celebrating a goal last season at Rogers Arena by mimicking lifting the Cup and kissing a championship ring, or Lucic getting in a bar fight after that same game, a 6-2 Canuck win, and later ripping Vancouver, his hometown.

But they’re both equal-opportunity offenders, who do not slime any particular team more than any other.

“Brad’s had those issues at different times, it’s not necessarily because it’s Vancouver,” Bruins coach Claude Julien acknowledged Friday morning.
As for Lucic: “It happened over a year ago, first time back since then, I’m not going to put too much emphasis on it,” he said. Since he got off the plane Thursday afternoon in the old hometown, he said, “Everything’s been great, no issues.”

“I think the hatred is gone,” said Jannik Hansen. “It’s two teams with a little bit of history, obviously, but … all the sideshow, all the stuff that happened, it’s four years ago, you can’t really use it for anything. It’s great for the fans, great for the media, but there’s nothing that has to be paid back. The two points is the thing on the line.”

Burrows, a central figure in the early part of that Boston series, said that losing it still rankles, but as for the rivalry …

“Maybe between the cities, or the uniforms,” he said. “But we’re what, six-seven guys left from then? Same thing for them. It’s not like it was last year. A lot has changed.”

The biggest change is this: four years ago, the Canucks were winning the Presidents’ Trophy and the Bruins topping their division.
Today, both are precariously perched near the bottom of their conferences’ playoff races, their 2011 moxie long gone, their fortunes on the slide, their hubris greatly chastened.

“If you look at the rivalries we had against Chicago and San Jose and LA,” said Henrik Sedin, “it happens when both teams are great. And right now, neither one of us is a top team in the league.”

And neither team, and neither fan base, feels very sorry for the other.

Henrik made a great pass to his brother in the middle of the ice, and Daniel pushed it into the open left side of the net for his 13th of the season. He also scored in the third period to give Vancouver a 4-2 lead with 4:37 remaining.

Canucks coach Willie Desjardins, who celebrated his 58th birthday, said the team got production from all over, but “the Sedins came through again for us with a couple of big ones late.”

Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists for Chicago, which looked listless for much of the night, and then closed with a flourish. Marian Hossa scored two goals for the third consecutive game.

“It’s feeling good when the puck’s going in for you,” Hossa said. “Just try to put a puck at the net — that’s my goal right now — and good things happen. That’s what I try to do.”

Chicago dropped to 0-2 on its season-high eight-game homestand. The Blackhawks won consecutive games against Winnipeg and St. Louis before returning home for a 3-2 shootout loss to lowly Arizona on Monday night.

Vancouver had a 3-1 lead before Hossa rushed in from the right side for a power-play score at 12:48 of the third. After Daniel Sedin restored the Canucks’ two-goal lead, the Blackhawks rallied again.

First, Brandon Saad got a piece of Duncan Keith’s shot for a power-play goal. Then Hossa beat Eddie Lack on a bad-angle shot from the left side for his 16th, tying it at 4 with 55 seconds left.

“Whether it’s desperation or urgency, we kind of came alive there at the end,” Keith said. “We’re a tough team to play against when we get our backs against the wall, but you never want to let it get like that.”

The crowd of 21,346 chanted “Hossa! Hossa!” before the start of overtime, but Daniel Sedin quickly ended the extra session. He has 19 goals and 30 assists in 51 career games against Chicago.

“That’s a good team over there,” Daniel Sedin said. “They made us pay at the end, but we got the overtime win and we’ll take it.”

Linden Vey, Bo Horvat and Zack Kassian scored in the second for Vancouver, which bounced back from Tuesday’s 5-3 loss at Minnesota. Lack had 37 saves one night after he replaced Ryan Miller in the second against the Wild.

Chicago made a couple of costly mistakes in its defensive zone, and Vancouver jumped on the miscues to move in front in the second period.

The Blackhawks had a turnover and struggled to get the puck out of their end before the Canucks turned a 3-on-1 rush into Vey’s tying goal at 4:42. Radim Vrbata passed to Chris Higgins on the left, and he moved it to the other side to an open Vey for his eighth of the season.

Vrbata has two goals and six assists in a seven-game point streak.

Chicago defenceman David Rundblad then had an ugly sequence that ended with Horvat’s go-ahead score. Corey Crawford stopped Ronalds Kenins’ drive, but Rundblad was unable to clear away the rebound and Horvat slammed it home for his sixth goal.

The Canucks increased their lead to 3-1 when Kassian deflected Luca Sbisa’s shot past Crawford while battling Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook in front of the net.

“I didn’t like the goals we gave up tonight, because it seemed like every goal that had, we had the puck in a good position and it ended up going the other way and into our net,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “Whether it was coverage or poor plays with the puck all led to back in our end and in the net.”

The Dallas Stars say captain Jamie Benn has “reached out” to apologize to Henrik and Daniel Sedin after making offensive comments about the twins on a radio program.

Benn and teammate Tyler Seguin made disparaging remarks about the Vancouver Canucks’ stars rooming together on the road while on a Dallas sports talk show on Monday.

“The Dallas Stars have the utmost respect for the contributions that the [Sedins] have made to both the game and to their community over the course of their great careers,” Stars president Jim Lites said in a brief statement Wednesday.

The oldest, lamest, most worn-out dig on them is the “sisters” slur. It’s a little heartbreaking I still have to write about this in 2015. If the Sedins still get it, what about the kids in minor hockey? Peewee soccer? High school band?

Obviously, when it comes to the Sedins, it continues to follow them.

They are not the only stars who have this type of attack directed at them. Crosby has been called Cindy. Even Pronger got it, called Chrissy. As though being female is inherently wrong or inferior.

Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, of the Dallas Stars, tapped into what comes off as a similar form of bullying at the end of a long interview on something called the Bob and Dan show.

From what I can tell, the interview was taken off the web site after some of Canuck twitter heard it and demanded apologies from Benn and Seguin. Not sure on that. But it was here.

In the late stages of the interview, the topic turned to rooming on the road. Benn and his brother play on the same team but he explains they get separate rooms.

A host says he thinks the Sedins stay together still, and Benn follows that line up stating:

“Who knows what else they do together?”

Not a great moment. Jokes follow, as the hosts claim the way the Sedins cut their hair and present themselves are examples of what brothers should never do.

And Seguin, in loose Seguin fashion, concludes it with this:

“They’re odd as s–––.”

Sure if odd is mature, responsible, accountable, upstanding community members who love their team and city equally, while going through life respecting every person they encounter.

Yes, if that’s your definition odd, then they are as odd as s–––.

With files from The Canadian Press

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck,FileVancouver Canucks' Daniel Sedin, right, celebrating with his twin brother Henrik Sedin, both of Sweden, after scoring the winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jason Pominville and Ryan Suter scored power-play goals, and Devan Dubnyk earned another victory in the net, guiding the Minnesota Wild past the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 on Monday night for their sixth straight win in regulation.

Jordan Schroeder got his first goal with the Wild, against the team that drafted him, and Nino Niederreiter and Kyle Brodziak also scored to send Canucks goalie Ryan Miller to an early exit midway through the second period.

The Wild raised their record to 8-1-1 in the last 10 games, all with Dubnyk in goal since his arrival in a trade. They moved within three points of the cut for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, against which they are 17-10-4 with seven consecutive victories in a row.

Zack Kassian, Shawn Matthias and Ryan Stanton scored goals and Dan Hamhuis had two assists for the Canucks.

Vancouver fell behind 2-0 less than 8 minutes in and never recovered despite hitting a post with shots in each of the first two periods. The Canucks have lost five of eight.

Eddie Lack relieved Miller after Brodziak one-timed a pass from Jared Spurgeon for a 5-2 lead less than 8 minutes into the second period. Miller was coming off a 31-save shutout against Pittsburgh on Saturday, one of Vancouver’s most well-rounded performances in a while, but this was his fifth loss in seven starts. Miller stopped 13 shots.

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AP Photo/Ann HeisenfeltThe Wild raised their record to 8-1-1 in the last 10 games, all with Dubnyk in goal since his arrival in a trade. They moved within three points of the cut for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

The Wild were 0-5-1 in their previous six games with shattered confidence and a sputtering defence before acquiring Dubnyk in the deal with Arizona, but the 28-year-old goalie has not only lifted their spirits but spurred them back into contention since his arrival.

The Wild held the Canucks to 25 shots, slightly under their league-best per-game average. Dubnyk, who was the NHL’s First Star award winner for last week after posting shutouts in each of the first two games of this homestand, made 22 saves. He has stopped 221 of 235 shots he has faced with the Wild, now drawing a “Duuuuub!” serenade from the crowd
nearly every time he makes even a mildly challenging save.

The Wild had one of their finest passing performances of the season, with every goal following a sharp setup. They lost two forwards, Ryan Carter and Jason Zucker, to injuries in the first period, too. Charlie Coyle fed Schroeder, whose backhand flip over Miller’s blocker into the upper left corner gave the Wild the early lead.

The Canucks brought the third-best penalty kill in the NHL, including the most effective on the road, but the Wild sliced that unit up with goals by Pominville and Suter.

Suter, who scored for the first time in 47 games he has played since the opener, hit Nick Bonino with a slap shot with his first attempt. He tracked down the puck and, seeing
Bonino hobbling into position, fired again from long range for a 4-2 lead. Suter hit a post with a shot in the first period, too.

]]>http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/vancouver-canucks-ryan-miller-gives-up-five-in-loss-to-surging-minnesota-wild/feed/1stdJordan Schroeder, Ryan MillerAP Photo/Ann HeisenfeltThe making of Tom Cochrane’s hit song ‘Big League’ and how it became a ‘Canadian anthem’http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/the-making-of-tom-cochranes-hit-song-big-league-and-how-it-became-a-canadian-anthem
http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/nhl/the-making-of-tom-cochranes-hit-song-big-league-and-how-it-became-a-canadian-anthem#commentsMon, 09 Feb 2015 13:00:44 +0000http://news.nationalpost.com/?p=694716Big League, is four-and-a-half minutes long, and told through the voice of an anguished hockey parent from an unidentified northern town]]>

TORONTO – In 1988, Tom Cochrane and Red Rider, a well-travelled Canadian rock band with a handful of hits already on the air, released an album featuring an unusual song about the sport of hockey. What made it unusual was its duality: An aspirational opening leading to an adrenaline-coated chorus, blending into what appeared to be a deeply depressing story.

The song, Big League, is four-and-a-half minutes long, and told through the voice of an anguished hockey parent from an unidentified northern town. Their son was going to play in the eponymous Big League, having earned a scholarship to play with “a big U.S. team” until tragedy struck down his dreams, and also theirs.

Canadians bought more than 100,000 copies of the album within a month of its release. A critic from the Toronto Star wrote Big League was “powerful,” the Vancouver Sun hailed it as a “moving anthem” and the Ottawa Citizen described Cochrane as “hockey’s man of the moment” in U.S. markets, which was not faint praise considering Wayne Gretzky had been sold to the Los Angeles Kings only a few months earlier.

The lyrics are based on a true story, but the names have remained a long-held secret. The song has inspired a generation of would-be hockey parents, and it has also been played at memorial services to honour players who have died too young.

“It is one of my most poignant songs, and I often say to people it’s the song I’m most proud of,” Cochrane said. “It’s a Canadian anthem. And it does resonate universally, but it’s still our story, you know? And that’s important to me.”

He was leaning over a hot drink on a cold afternoon last month, inside the Rock ‘n’ Horse Saloon, in downtown Toronto. Now 61, Cochrane is set to release his new album, “Take it Home,” on Tuesday, ahead of a cross-country tour that will open Saturday, in Thunder Bay, Ont.

A sheet with the lyrics to Big League was placed on the table in front of him.

In the years since its release, several theories have evolved around the alleged inspiration behind the song. Some presumed it was based on George Pelawa, an 18-year-old forward from Bemidji, Minn., a powerful winger who had committed to play at the University of North Dakota, and who the Calgary Flames selected 16th overall in the 1986 entry draft.

He was killed in a car accident months after that draft.

Cochrane has heard the theories. Another is that his song was inspired by an accident that occurred just a few months after Pelawa’s death, when the bus carrying the Swift Current Broncos hit a patch of black ice and skidded off the road, killing four players. Brent Ruff, younger brother of then-Buffalo Sabres captain Lindy Ruff, was among those killed.

Laura Pedersen/National PostCanadian musician Tom Cochrane points out lyrics in his hit song "Big League" during a sit-down interview at the Rock N Horse Saloon in Toronto.

“I think what’s important is that it is inclusive for everybody,” Cochrane said. “I don’t think it’s that important, specifically, who it’s about.”

The inspiration, he said, came from a custodian who approached him before a show at a rink “up north.”

“He came up and he said, ‘My boy’s a big fan of Boy Inside The Man. And I said, ‘Oh, is he coming to the show? We’re playing it tonight,’” Cochrane said. “And he said, ‘No, he passed away, he was an aspiring hockey player.’

“And that just hit me like a ton of bricks.”

Laura Pedersen/National Post“I think what’s important is that it is inclusive for everybody,” Cochrane said.

He said he knew that story would become a song.

The lyrics came to him a few months later inside a rented bungalow in Mississauga, Ont., a spot he and a band mate had rented to work on new songs. It was halfway between their homes, and was only lightly furnished. They had recording equipment in the dining room, with a mattress laying on the floor in another room.

It was in that room, with only a tape recorder, a guitar and a notepad where Cochrane had his idea. He said he awoke from a nap and immediately began playing the song. The first verse came quickly, then the second. He stopped, listened back, and continued to work.

“It just all kind of unfolded,” he said. “It’d been percolating there for quite some time.”

When he was a kid, he’d be up at five
Take shots ’til eight, and make the thing drive
Out after school, and back on ice
That was his life, he was gonna play in the big league
The big league

Not many ways out of this cold northern town
You work in the mill and get laid in the ground
If you’re gonna jump it’ll be with the game
Real fast and tough is the only clear lane to the big league

My boy’s gonna play in the big league
My boy’s gonna turn some heads
My boy’s gonna play in the big league
My boy’s gonna knock ’em dead
The big league

Cochrane said Pat Quinn, when he was coach of the Vancouver Canucks, would play the song inside the dressing room. The Canucks used part of the song as the soundtrack for a video mailed to voters emphasizing Trevor Linden’s candidacy for the Calder Trophy, as the NHL’s rookie of the year. (Linden ended up finishing second, in 1989, to New York Rangers defenceman Brian Leetch.)

He has played the song at the Memorial Cup. He has heard that Taylor Hall’s mother is a fan of it. Samir Kadri, father of Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri, has often told the story of how Big League came on the radio as he was driving to the delivery ward.

“The song talked about my kid going to play in the big league,” he told Al Jazeera last year. “It was a sign.”

All the right moves when he turned eighteen
Scholarship and school on a big U.S. team
Out with his girl near Lake McLean
Hit a truck doing seventy in the wrong lane
To the big league

My boy’s gonna play in the big league
My boy’s gonna turn some heads
My boy’s gonna play in the big league
My boy’s gonna knock ‘em dead

Never can tell what might come down
You never can tell when you might check out
Just don’t know, no you never can tell

There is a Lac MacLean about 90 minutes north of Ottawa. There is also a McClean Lake in northern Saskatchewan, about 10 hours north of Saskatoon. Those lakes do not contain any more hints about the story behind the song, though.

In December 1988, four members of a junior hockey team in southern Alberta were killed when their car collided with a train about 30 minutes south of Calgary. Three players, all with the Kainai Golden Chiefs, were killed, along with their general manager.

Laura Pedersen/National PostCanadian musician Tom Cochrane said the inspiration for the song came from a custodian who approached him before a show at a rink “up north.”

More than 3,000 reportedly attended a memorial service held inside an arena. Part of that service included a playing of the team’s theme song: Big League.

In 2008, the family of Luc Bourdon, the Canucks defenceman who died in a motorcycle crash in New Brunswick, requested Cochrane to play the song at a memorial tribute before a game in Vancouver.

“And I said, ‘No, that’s private,’” Cochrane said. “And they said, ‘The family wants you there, he liked this song a lot.’ A little part of you goes through that with the family and died with them, in a sense, because you are just overwhelmed by that.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HGD12AqYjk&w=640&h=390]

It was opening night in Vancouver. And after the players were introduced, Cochrane was on the ice with Bourdon’s family. He played an acoustic, haunting version of the song.

“It was one of the most profound performances of that song I’ve ever done,” he said.

Sometimes at night I can hear the ice crack
It sounds like thunder and it rips through my back
Sometimes in the morning I still hear the sound
Ice meets metal: “Can’t you drive me down to the big league?”

“There’s metaphors in the song, and references, like, ‘sometimes at night, I can hear the ice crack,’” Cochrane said. “Well, Canadians, if you’re from the north and it’s late in the spring — getting near playoff time — and the ice starts to melt, you hear the pressure cracks, and it’s haunting.”

He paused for a moment.

“I get chills when I think of that, because it’s one of my more poignant lines, because it also refers to the change in life, that we’re so really tuned into as Canadians,” he said. “It’s just change. There’s this weather out here, but we know the spring’s going to come.”

In the quote that ends the stanza, the parent hears the voice of their lost son.

“I just believe in a higher purpose, and I believe in angels,” Cochrane said. “I don’t think people ever really leave us.”

My boy’s gonna play in the big league
My boy’s gonna turn some heads
My boy’s gonna play in the big league
My boy’s gonna knock ‘em dead

You never can tell what might come down
You never can tell when you might check out
You just don’t know, no you never can tell
So do right to others like you do to yourself
In the big league

“It’s powerful,” Cochrane said. “You can’t forget that you may not be here tomorrow, so you’ve got to live it to the fullest, as cliché as that sounds. And that’s maybe the most profound message of the song.”

He described the song as “a trust,” and as a “bond” with the audience.

“I never get tired of playing it,” he said. “I’ve always set out to try to write songs that mean something and tell a story, whether it’s 100 per cent truth or 100 per cent fiction, or a mixture of both. I think it’s important to have something to say in the music.”

He said it remains one of the favourite songs he has written.

When it was released in the U.S., he said it found an unexpected home in Texas. There, it was thought to be about baseball, with its big-league dreams. Cochrane said he had a web developer from Manchester, England, working on his site, “and initially, he had related the song to soccer.”

“There’s a political and economic component, too, that for a lot of people, hockey and baseball and football and basketball and soccer, that’s the way out,” he said.

“And in some cases, it’s the only way out for some kids, in their minds.”

For all the mystery that remains around its inspiration, though, Cochrane confirmed one thing: It is a song about hockey, and it is a Canadian song.

“It’s important for me to be respected and loved at home,” he said. “It’s really important. And this song, I hope, has in a sense galvanized me as a Canadian artist who cares about his people, who cares about his home and who cares about the relevancy of how this sport has impacted us and pulled us together.”

Laura Pedersen/National PostWhen it was released in the U.S., Cochrane said it found an unexpected home in Texas. There, it was thought to be about baseball, with its big-league dreams.

WINNIPEG — Evander Kane is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Kane was missing from Winnipeg’s practice Thursday two days after he was a healthy scratch for Winnipeg’s 3-2 overtime loss in Vancouver. Head coach Paul Maurice said Kane was seeing team doctors for an undisclosed ailment that has been bugging him all season.

The Jets placed Kane on the injured reserve list retroactive to Monday, meaning he’ll miss at least Friday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks and Sunday’s against the Colorado Avalanche. Kane, whose injury is undisclosed, would be eligible to return for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Wild.

But speculation about Kane’s long-term future with the club remains and has intensified since he didn’t dress for Tuesday’s game in his hometown. In his post-game news conference Tuesday, Maurice said it was a “coach’s decision” and wouldn’t elaborate.

He didn’t shed anymore light on Thursday despite a Winnipeg Free Press report that Kane was benched because he broke the team’s dress code by wearing a track suit instead of a suit to a team meeting.

“I know that when I come out and say coach’s decision that I open all of us up to a tremendous amount of speculation, and I can live with that,” Maurice said.

A source confirmed Thursday evening that Kane had a run-in with teammates the day of the Vancouver game that included Dustin Byfuglien throwing Kane’s track suit into the shower. The source said Kane was not on the team bus to the arena for the game.

According to reports, team officials could not reach Kane until an hour before game time, when he said he would not be playing.

Kane’s agent, Craig Oster, said his camp would comment on the situation Friday.

Distractions aren’t something the once-surging Jets need right now as they fight for a playoff spot. They currently hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, two points up on the Canucks. Vancouver, however, has played four less games.

VANCOUVER — Coming off an uninspired loss in the first game after the NHL all-star break, Willie Desjardins had a pointed chat with his Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday morning.

“We talked about our team identity,” the head coach said of the meeting before practice. “We talked about who we are … the things we do when we play our game. We asked each other: ‘Is that how we played (Tuesday) night? And if it isn’t how we played, is that acceptable?’ I don’t think the guys felt we played our best game.”

While the Anaheim Ducks currently sit atop the NHL standings, the Canucks generated just seven shots over the final two periods of a 4-0 defeat.

“If we can live with not playing our best game, we’ll play that way lots of nights because it’s a tough league,” added Desjardins. “That’s what we laid out and it’s up to each of us to look at it.”

Canucks forward Jannik Hansen, one of Vancouver’s most consistent players all season, said it was a good refresher with 36 games left in the regular season and the team currently in a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“It was all about back to the basics that we were handed out at training camp — what we’re about, how we need to play, what we need to do in order to be successful,” he said. “Nothing has really changed since we showed up in the summer. It’s still the same team, it’s still the same group of guys, and we need to play the way we did early on: four lines, hard to play against, making sure we’re competing.”

The main culprit for Vancouver’s up-and-down play recently has been a lack of offence. The Canucks have scored just three times over their last three games and have failed to find the mark at home in 176 minutes 21 seconds — a stretch of nearly nine periods.

“We’re not happy where we are right now with our game,” said defenceman Dan Hamhuis. “We had a long talk about it as a group, had a hard practice. We know we have some work to do. Scoring is one thing, but that’s the result of playing well in a lot of other areas on the ice. Focusing on our process needs to be a lot better.”

Desjardins shouldered some of the blame for not having the team ready to play against Anaheim after Vancouver went 3-2-0 on a five-game road trip prior to the all-star break.

“It’s up to the coaches to have them ready and it’s up to me to have them ready,” he said. “I think our level could have been better.”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckThe main culprit for Vancouver's up-and-down play recently has been a lack of offence. The Canucks have scored just three times over their last three games and have failed to find the mark at home in 176 minutes 21 seconds.

The rookie coach also added it looked like the players’ heads were still back at the beach or on the slopes, not on the ice.

“I think we came off the break, and we were still in the break mode when we played,” said Desjardins. “We weren’t at the level we needed to compete the way we needed to compete. That one’s gone and it can’t happen again. We’ve had a few of those at home and we know that and we have to react accordingly.”

Vancouver (26-17-3) has a mediocre record of 11-9-1 at Rogers Arena so far this season compared to a stellar 15-8-2 mark away from home.

Desjardins touched on his club’s inability to win battles on Tuesday night so it was perhaps no coincidence that the Canucks were put through a number of 1-on-1 drills Wednesday.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl DyckVancouver Canucks goalie Ryan Miller allows a goal to Anaheim Ducks' Kyle Palmieri during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday January 27, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

“If you want to win in this league you have to play hard. You just have to,” said Desjardins. “Teams are way too good. I didn’t think we competed maybe the way we needed to, and I believe we (can) compete that way. I don’t believe it’s something we can’t do.”

The Canucks were without some of their grit and vocal leadership against the Ducks — Kevin Bieksa and Brad Richardson were both injured, while Derek Dorsett left in the second period after taking a hit from Ryan Kesler.

“It’s always tough when you have injuries all in one area. It’s not so much that you have three injuries, but that they come from a group that plays the same way,” said Desjardins. “Somebody else has to step up … we can’t say if those guys were out the rest of the year: ‘Well, we’re out of luck.’

“I don’t think people would accept that so other guys in the room have to find a way.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Four Canadian teams are in playoff positions at the NHL’s all-star break. The Montreal Canadiens are the lone Eastern Conference team, while the Winnipeg Jets, Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames are in the top eight in the West.

Here’s what those teams have to do to keep the spots in the second half of the season and what the others in contention, the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, need to do to make it. The Edmonton Oilers are 20 points out of a playoff spot and are largely considered out of post-season contention.

Playoff chances are from Sports Club Stats.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Record: 29-13-3, 61 points

Place in standings: Third in Atlantic Division

Chances of making playoffs: 98.8 per cent

What they have to do: Hope Carey Price stays healthy. The all-star goaltender is Montreal’s best player, and as long as he’s on the ice and contributing, the Canadiens will be fine.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham HughesCarey Price must stay healthy. The all-star goaltender is Montreal's best player, and as long as he's on the ice and contributing, the Canadiens will be fine.

WINNIPEG JETS

Record: 26-14-8, 60 points

Place in standings: First Western Conference wild card

Chances of making playoffs: 92.4 per cent

What they have to do: Don’t let up and the first playoff game in Winnipeg for this version of the Jets awaits. This team “turned a corner,” according to defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, and a 7-2-1 stretch going into the break gave it a nice cushion.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John WoodsThis team "turned a corner," according to defenceman Dustin Byfuglien, and a 7-2-1 stretch going into the break gave it a nice cushion.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS

Record: 26-16-3, 55 points

Place in standings: Third in Pacific Division

Chances of making playoffs: 92.4 per cent

What they need to do: Play better at home, according to all-star winger Radim Vrbata, talking about the Canucks’ 11-8-1 record at Rogers Arena. With 21 home games left the rest of the way, that’ll determine if Ryan Miller and Vancouver can hold on despite some inconsistency.

AP Photo/Karl B DeBlakerTo make the playoffs, they have to play better at home, according to all-star winger Radim Vrbata, talking about the Canucks' 11-8-1 record at Rogers Arena.

CALGARY FLAMES

Record: 25-19-3, 53 points

Place in standings: Second Western Conference wild card

Chances of making playoffs: 72.2 per cent

What they need to do: Beat the other teams in the hunt and “you try to avoid the losing streak,” captain Mark Giordano said. Up one point on the defending Stanley Cup-champion Los Angeles Kings and with others not far away, it’ll be a test of Bob Hartley’s young group.

(AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)The Calgary Flames have a 72.2 per cent of making the playoffs, according to Sports Club Stats.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Record: 19-18-9, 47 points

Place in standings: 10 points out of second Eastern Conference wild card

Chances of making playoffs: 16.7 per cent

What they need to do: Hope one of the current playoff teams falls off its current pace because erasing a 10-point deficit this late is almost impossible. Winger Bobby Ryan said the Senators need to gain a point or two the rest of this month and close the gap in February and March just to put themselves in striking distance in April.

Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty ImagesThe Senators have to hope one of the current playoff teams falls off its current pace because erasing a 10-point deficit this late is almost impossible.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Record: 22-23-3, 47 points

Place in standings: 10 points out of second Eastern Conference wild card

Chances of making playoffs: 4.5 per cent

What they need to do: Get on a roll fast and figure out how to play interim coach Peter Horachek’s system. Losers of six in a row, the Maple Leafs are in danger of not only a lost season but huge changes on the horizon this off-season. A run to the playoffs now looks improbable but it might affect the organization’s plans.

Brandon Pirri spoiled Miller’s bid for a third straight shutout with 2:32 remaining, ending the goalie’s career-best scoreless streak at 200:45. Miller, who had blanked Philadelphia and Carolina in his last two starts, topped his previous best scoreless streak of 161:35, set in 2010 with Buffalo.

Vancouver won its third straight and improved to 3-1 on a five-game road trip.

“(Keeping the winning streak going) is probably more important,” Miller said. “(The shutout streak) was fun while it lasted but the important thing is that we got two points here and we move on to Tampa.”

The Panthers outshot the Canucks 10-1 in the third period and finally got on the scoreboard when Pirri got the puck off the faceoff and fired a shot from above the right circle through traffic and past Miller.

“I just couldn’t catch up to (the shot). I didn’t see (Pirri’s) release too well and if I don’t see the release I’m probably dead in the water,” Miller said.

“It’s disappointing,” Vancouver coach Willie Desjardins said. “He made a couple of unbelievable saves; one on the power play. For sure, we wish (the scoreless streak) would have kept going and he deserved it to keep going but that happens sometimes.”

The Panthers have lost a season-worst four straight, and are lurching into the All-Star break with just one point in the last four games.

“Real disappointing first period, we didn’t play well. Mentally we weren’t sharp. They came out and took it to us that first period,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “It could have been a real good finish to have a good homestand.”

AP Photo/J Pat CarterThe Panthers have lost a season-worst four straight.

The Canucks scored both goals in the first period and outshot the sluggish Panthers 13-6. Vrbata put Vancouver ahead at 3:25 as Daniel Sedin made a nice pass across to Vrbata on the right side and his shot got past Luongo’s glove.

“I’ve got to try to be a little better at the start, come up with some big saves,” Luongo said. “The last few games he (Miller) hasn’t given up much so that was a tough one to get back into.”

Horvat doubled the lead at 8:03 as his shot was deflected into the crease and bounced before drifting across the goal line.

“I just tried to put the puck on net and fortunately it trickled in,” Horvat said. “It’s been a really good road trip.”